Low calorie and healthy foods

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PaymanLux
PaymanLux Posts: 23 Member
edited July 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Low calorie and healthy foods

Strawberries
Apples
Dole brand fruits, no sugar added
Sugar Peas
Lettuce
Pickles
Mushrooms
Tomato
Tomato Sauce
Light Sour Cream (mayo substitute, try it with tuna)
Mustard
Wild Caught Tuna
Pollock (imitation crab)
Wild Caught Salmon
Deli Roast Beef
Deli Turkey
Boil Hamburger, then strain of fats
Boil Steak, then sear it in a pan
Grilled Chicken
Seaweed (salty)
Smuckers sugar free jellies and jams
Smuckers sugar free breakfast syrup (imitation maple syrup)
Wasa Sesame Thins
Wasa Light Crisps (mildly sweetened)
Goldfish crackers
Russell Stover sugar free chocolates (fatty) best ones are Dark Truffle, Dark Chocolate, Mint and Dark Pecan
Distilled Water
A&W Zero Sugar
Sunkist Zero Sugar
Diet Pepsi
Sugar Free Life Savers
Crystal Light
Monster Zero Sugar (white can)
Skim or Fat Free Milk
Folgers Coffee Crystals
Garlic Grinder
Black Pepper
Erythritol Crystals
Niacin
B12

Core Power protein shake (any flavor) * has sugar
Simply Smoothie * has sugar
Simply Peach, Simply Strawberry Banana, Simply Raspberry Lemonade * has sugar
Planters Deluxe Selected Nuts (Almomds, Cashews, Pecans) * high fat and calories, plenty of protein
Cacao Nibs * high fat and calories
Natures Own Life bread

Replies

  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 694 Member
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    Healthy for who?
    The problem with generic lists like this with no context is that they don't take into account allergies/ intolerances, or that many of us are not in the US, or personal preferences. I am always going to have proper jam, or no jam.
    'Dole brand fruits' do other brands not count?!

    You also forgot the tea. No healthy diet from my point of view does not include tea :D

    I'm glad it works for you, but please don't assume that means it works for everyone.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,426 Member
    edited July 2021
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    I agree with the others. Don’t vilify foods and don’t make a “writ in stone” list. I did that at the beginning, and have definitively changed my outlook since then.

    I’d rather have a “real” hard candy than a sugar free. Hard candies are generally pretty negligible in calories anyway. Sanded lemon drops are about 5 apiece, and I bought a case of large Oreo candy canes (45 each) earlier this year. Great for a quick carby sugar rush around workout time.

    Russell Stover’s sugar free is not a low cal substitution.

    And sweetie, boiling a steak and then grilling it is sacrilege. You can buy some pretty decent cuts of steak for about 190cal/4ounces. Cook it properly and enjoy what you eat.

    However helpful foods I’ve found are:
    *Walden Farms zero calorie dressings, syrups
    *Veronica Foods fruit balsamic vinegars: you’ll find it relabeled in local gourmet type shops. Great on fresh or baked fruit, the chocolate vinegar makes a kick *kitten* carnita base, the honey-ginger is an excellent stir fry sauce.
    *Jordan’s skinny Syrups: in teas, coffee, baked goods, smoothies, anything you want a small hit of sweet
    *low or fat free Greek yogurt and cottage cheese: delicious on its own, with fruit, as marinade, tzatsiki, in smoothies
    *panko : a little goes a very long way
    *I Can’t believe It’s Not Butter low cal spread at 35/tbsp
    *diced tomatoes: simmered in a crockpot all day with some Italian or herbes de Provence is a rich, savory- sweet, inexpensive sauce by dinner time.
    *salsa : great in a wrap, on a salad. I love Lidl’s Cowboy Caviar and Pineapple versions.
    *fresh asparagus: I like a whole container sautéed with a little margarine (my own personal form of sacrilege lol) with a squirt of lemon on top. Huge platter for hardly any calories
    *Silk plain almond or cashew milk 25/cup. I prefer the cashew because it’s a little richer and the texture is way better in coffees. It also seems to make my pancakes rise really well fir some reason

    Good luck to you and much success. Keep reading the forums. Soon you’ll be as expert as we all think we are, lol. Seriously, I have learned SOOOOOOOO much from the generous members here.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    PaymanLux wrote: »
    Part one of the list are the lowest calorie items that I could find with nutritional value.
    Part two are additional healthy items that arent necessarily low calorie and low sugar.
    There isn't anything definitive about this list, they are what I like since starting my diet.
    If you can make low calorie low sugar suggestions that would be nice.
    My dieting technique is to choose the lowest calorie foods with the most volume or weight to them so that I might eat plenty of food yet lose some fat. Lettuce and salads are a prime example because if you build a salad right you can eat ten of them if you want and still not meet your calorie limit.

    Maybe you should try the sugar free gummy bears! I hear they are explosively good! ;)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,058 Member
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    PaymanLux wrote: »
    Part one of the list are the lowest calorie items that I could find with nutritional value.
    Part two are additional healthy items that arent necessarily low calorie and low sugar.
    There isn't anything definitive about this list, they are what I like since starting my diet.
    If you can make low calorie low sugar suggestions that would be nice.
    My dieting technique is to choose the lowest calorie foods with the most volume or weight to them so that I might eat plenty of food yet lose some fat. Lettuce and salads are a prime example because if you build a salad right you can eat ten of them if you want and still not meet your calorie limit.

    Your list didn't include one of my personal favorites, cucumbers (not pickled, though I also like them pickled). Hakurei turnips and radishes are also good raw, and quite low in calories.

    Other things I like, in their proper role, are:

    * Peanut butter powder (good in sauces or yogurt to add a nice flavor, not as a substitute spread IMO). Chocolate peanut butter powder is especially good mixed with nonfat Greek yogurt and frozen berries, IMO.
    * Vinegar as a dressing or flavoring, in sauces for both hot & cold foods.
    * Herbs & spices generally, both fresh and dried - most are very low in calories, add a lot of flavor
    * Lemon or lime as a flavor-brightener in a variety of foods
    * Nutritional yeast
    * Plain nonfat Greek yogurt, in dressings, on fruit, or in roles where one might use sour cream
    * Lowfat cottage cheese (I don't care for the texture of any nonfat version I've tried)
    * Part-skim ricotta cheese (as an ingredient in things)
    * Crispy chickpeas, crispy broad beans, dry-roasted flavored soybeans, or Beanitos chips as a crunchy snack - still salty and medium calorie dense, but more nutrients than some common salty/crunchy snacks (this one may be idiosyncratic).

    I'd also question the comment about nuts - or question half of it, actually: "high fat and calories, plenty of protein"? Speaking as a vegetarian, the protein to calorie ratio of nuts is not favorable at all IMO. If they have value nutritionally, IMO, it's more because of their healthy fats (we all need some), not because of their fairly negligible protein content. (I consider a single food (vs. dish/meal) to be a fairly good vegetarian-friendly protein source at around 10 calories per gram of protein. The mixed nuts have about 34 calories per gram of protein. They may be a good food, and worth their calories, but not on account of protein.)

    I don't generally eat sugar-free things, as most I've tried have an off-taste to me. I'd rather eat real-sugar things in smaller amounts, but I know that's a personal taste issue, not a universal.

    I can see the value of identifying calorie-efficient foods, and eating the ones we individually enjoy; but success overall IMO is more about balancing calories with nutrition, tastiness, satiation, practicality and more, to get to an individually enjoyable and sustainable overall way of eating.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    Personally, I think labeling certain foods "healthy" could be motivating. Not only are you eating something you like, but - added bonus - it's actively improving your health. Or, it's functioning as a substitute for something else that would interfere with meeting your health goals.

    Some people have ingrained negative feelings about food and eating -for example, they might feel like food in general is their enemy in their weight loss battle. And obviously there are other kinds of negative attitudes. This kind of self-talk could help reframe someone's thoughts in a helpful way. Btw, labeling some foods as healthy doesn't necessarily imply that others are being vilified, though I could see someone thinking in those terms.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    PaymanLux wrote: »
    You can add suggestions on low calorie low sugar single ingredients or prepared foods if you would like.
    Just a few other foods to consider:
    Nonfat cottage cheese - quick and easy and a good source of protein. I've found quite a lot of variation in flavor and texture among brands, so if someone doesn't like one brand, they might love a different one.
    Air-popped popcorn - relatively few calories for its volume compared with similar crunchy snacks. There are probably hundreds of ways to season it, both savory and sweet.
    Sardines - they have a bad rap, but personally I like them. They're also quite nutritious and seem to appear on every environmental "best seafood" list.
    Old fashioned or steel-cut oats - very hearty, and fairly low in calories compared with most cold cereals. I like the old-fashioned ones because they're easier to prepare in the microwave.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,426 Member
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    Oh! Oh! I got more!!!!

    Extracts- I add a few drops to my puddings, pancakes etc. I keep lemon, almond and (of course) vanilla in squirt bottles. I’d like to add a few more extracts to the squad soon.

    Cinnamon: Saigon or Vietnamese cinnamon is the bomb. It’s stronger, hotter and sweeter than regular Ceylon cinnamon. Good on drinks, puddings, baked goods, chicken salad, it’s the #1 most reached for thing in my kitchen.

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